3 UP

Batting Title

On July 13, Jeff McNeil was batting .297, and he received what would be his last day off for the 2022 season. From there, McNeil would hit .360/.406/.500 taking the batting title away from Freddie Freeman. The fans would demand a curtain call from McNeil after the moment was official.

For Mets fans and the entire Mets organization, there is extra meaning in taking this away from Freeman, who has tortured the Mets for years. Who knows? Maybe actually beating Freeman heading into the postseason is a good omen.

Concerning McNeil, this was a great end to what has been a great season for him. He was an All-Star, is in line for the first-ever utility player Gold Glove in Major League history, and he finished with the top bWAR on the team. Considering he won a batting title while playing three positions for this team, there is no doubt he was the most valuable player this season.

Álvarez’s First Blast

After looking over-matched in Atlanta, Francisco Álvarez came to the plate in the sixth inning, and he would homer in his first-ever at-bat at Citi Field. Suddenly, Álvarez did not look so over-matched.

In this series, he would go 2-for-4 with three runs, a double, a homer, RBI, and two walks. He looked like the hitter he had been in the minors all season long. As Gary Cohen put it, we could only imagine what he could have done if he was given a chance earlier in the season.

Looking at him in Atlanta, it was difficult to see how he could be carried on the postseason roster. In this series, he looked like a very viable option, and Buck Showalter would say as much.

Ready for the Postseason

Give this Mets team a lot of credit. They didn’t linger over getting swept by the Braves. Instead, they went right about getting their heads right and getting ready for the postseason.

In addition to Álvarez, we also saw Brandon Nimmo (twice), McNeil, Mark Canha, Francisco Lindor, and even James McCann homer. Every projected postseason starter reached base at least once including Eduardo Escobar (three walks) and Daniel Vogelbach (two walks).

The bullpen looked good with Joely Rodriguez continuing his strong stretch beginning in August. Mychal Givens pitched a scoreless inning coming off the IL.

Overall, to a man, the Mets made sure they were getting ready for the postseason. They beat up on a dreadful Nationals team and became just the second team in Mets history to win over 101 games. This looked like a team ready to take home the third World Series in team history.

3 DOWN

Where’s the Tiebreaker Game?

If we are being completely honest, chances are the Atlanta Braves handle that final series of the season differently if the National League East was truly on the line. That goes double for the second game of the season. Unfortunately, though, there are no more tiebreaker games.

That said, the Mets and Braves tying atop the division only highlights how some of the Rob Manfred lead changes to the game take some of the nostalgia and excitement out of the sport. Could you imagine if the Mets had to send Jacob deGrom or Max Scherzer to the mound in Atlanta on Thursday in a winner-take-all game for the division?

Alas, we are cheated that because recent rule changes unnecessarily did away with this game. It’s a shame.

Williams Not Rewarded

On the one hand, there is no way whatsoever the Mets could pitch deGrom or any other starter in the final game of the season. The Mets’ sole focus needed to be getting ready for the Wild Card series.

So yes, it was smart to use Trevor Williams, who did what he has done for the Mets all season. He absolutely delivered picking up the win after pitching six innings. It was another big moment for him, but it came at a cost.

With Williams pitching those six innings, that takes him out of the equation for the Wild Card Series. That is a shame not only because he earned it, but also because he was one of the Mets’ best relievers all season. Hopefully, the Mets find a way to put him back on the roster for the NLDS.

No Win for Taijuan

One of the most bizarre things we will see all season is Showalter removing Taijuan Walker in the fifth inning after Kenley Jansen closed out the game to officially end the Mets’ chances of winning the division. With Walker went several Mets starters.

As for Walker, he had already pitched four and one-third innings. He was just two outs away from his 13th win of the season. Why not let him just get those two outs? He earned that opportunity and picking up a sixth win in the second half a year after not winning a game in the second half last season would’ve only further punctuated this season for him.